It's a chilly and rainy Saturday here and it's perfect for snuggling up with a cup of tea and a good book. Today's tea selection is Yerba Mate. Yerba Mate is a little known in North America, but it's drunk often as water in South America.
In South America, yerba mate has been revered for centuries as the “drink of the gods” and is drunk daily. Yerba mate grows wild in Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Brazil. The leaves of the rainforest mate tree naturally contain 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, abundant antioxidants. It does contain caffeine, so you should only consume it in the morning.
The flavor of brewed yerba mate is strongly vegetal, herbal, and grassy, reminiscent of some varieties of green tea. Yerba Mate should be steeped in hot (not boiling) water. You can find yerba mate in most tea sections, tea shops and hispanic grocery stores. Give it a try!!
Technically, yerba mate does not have caffeine. While the caffeine molecule is present, it is blocked by so many nutrients that a new molecule is formed, called "mateine." This is by drinking it your mind and body are invigorated, but have no jitters, crash, hypertension, or any other negative effect of caffeine. So, while matein and caffeine are similar, they are not identical.
ReplyDeleteI think I've had yerba mate royale made with SweetLeaf stevia from Wisdom of the Ancients, but I'm thinking of trying their vanilla flavor yerba mate royale (they have other flavors too).